2011 Dodge Challenger SRT-8
$40,950
Costa Mesa, CA
Highway:
22 MPG
Automatic
V8, 6.4L
White
RWD
Gasoline
73,557 Miles
White
502047NAS2
2B3CJ7DJ6BH502047
SRT-8
Price and Mileage of Similar 2011 Dodge Challenger in CA
Estimated Payment
$0 / month
About This 2011 Dodge Challenger
One owner Clean Carfax and title 0395/1100 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, Popular Mechanics Sonoma, Calif. For fans of Detroit muscle, certain numbers just resonate with heritage. That's why there's a Boss 302 in the Mustang range, and why owners of the modern Corvette Z06 can be heard calling its 7.0-liter V8 a "427." Neither of those cars uses the same engine that made the numerals famous, but there's marketing mojo in the digits. Now it's Dodge's turn to play that card with the hottest version of its revived pony car, the Challenger. By upping displacement to 6.4-liters, Dodge gets to call its latest Hemi a 392. That's just the cherry on a vastly improved sundae, though, as all Challengers undergo a re-engineering to improve handling, fit and finish and quality. The Specs If it weren't for the 1950s era Hemis the ultimate version of which was the 1957-58 edition that displaced 392 cubic inches there probably wouldn't have been the later 426. Mopar has offered a 392 cubic inch version of the modern Hemi as a crate engine for the aftermarket since 2007, but the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is the first time a 392 has been installed under the hood of a factory production model. We expected to see 392s in the 2008 or 2009 models, but Chrysler was in the direst of straits. The SRT8 392 is all about delivering torque 470 lb.-ft. in a broad band that's 90 ft.-lb higher at a low 2900 rpm. That means it has not only gained 50 lb.-ft. (and 40 hp) but the grunt arrives sooner for quicker acceleration, and is available all the time. The total output of 470 hp is pretty impressive, but all the more so when you hear the retuned exhaust system as an SRT8 runs to 60 mph in the low 4 second range and passes through a quarter-mile in the mid-12s. A bigger, louder engine in a faster car may not be what its many glib critics think a Detroit automaker needs, but Dodge is only building 1492 copies of this "inaugural edition" (1100 for the U.S. and 392 for Canada). Besides, while upping displacement usually means degrading fuel economy, that's not the case this time. By applying the MDS (multi-displacement system) developed for the 5.7-liter Hemi found in the R/T, the SRT engineers managed to make their Challenger not only faster but also less thirsty, at least when equipped with the automatic transmission (applying MDS to a car with a clutch pedal is a trickier matter and it's not ready for market yet). Final EPA numbers aren't in, but Dodge expects to see the SRT8's ratings improve from the previous model's 13 mpg city/19 highway rating to 19 city and 22 or 23 mpg on the open road. And there's more in the works to keep Challenger in the game even as fuel economy regulations stiffen in coming years. SRT's mission is to make extreme, low-production versions of the mainstream products, and this time engineer Tom McCarthy and his team had a much improved starting point, thanks to an investment from new partner Fiat in upgrading the entire product range. Dodge didn't cheap out in upgrading the car's interior and dressing up the exterior but even perhaps especially in ways you can't see. Almost every piece of the suspension has been re-engineered, from hub carriers through bushings, shocks and springs as Dodge president and CEO Ralph Gilles pushed for a much higher standard of ride and handling. These improvements apply to the Charger and even the V6 Challenger (which at 305 hp is again a contender against its crosstown rivals). It is these, already improved components, that SRT massages to increase performance to an even higher level with stiffened spring rates, lowered ride height and sharper steering. The Drive We drove pre-production prototype 392s on the open road and through a tight slalom at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Ground and then again at Infineon Raceway in northern California. It goes like stink and left us begging for more wheel time because there's more performance in it than we could exploit right Read More